For a while, they sat and watched the children play ‘stuck in the mud’. A gentle breeze carried leaves across the playground. The sun beamed.
Mr Bradford turned to her. “It’s been a while since we last saw any demons. Do you reckon we might be safe?”
She’d been asking herself that question a lot lately. It would be so tempting to rush back out into the world and see what was left, but it would be foolish too. “John wants to go looking for supplies in the weeks ahead, so I’m sure we’ll find out.” John was the school’s headmaster and one of the four adults living at the school. Miss Perrins, the school nurse, was the fourth. They were the only ones – along with the deceased Mr Granger – who had stayed behind with the schoolchildren when their parents had never arrived to pick them up. They were an odd sort of family, but they had survived together for a whole year.
“I hope John finds us something to eat,” said Mr Bradford, licking his lips. “I can’t survive on flour and water much longer.”
Stella laughed. “We ate cabbage this morning, so what are you complaining about?”
Mr Bradford reached out and gave her a tiny shove, then smiled at her a moment longer than was comfortable. A kaleidoscope of butterflies took flight in Stella’s stomach. She still considered herself married – still very much in love with her Dominic, who might still be alive somewhere – but the burden drifted away. She blushed, hot in the cheeks. “You know what I would love, Mike?” She dropped the school day formality; the kids weren’t near to them.
“If it’s a big juicy steak, I’m right there with you, Stel.”
Her hand moved to her mouth as she chuckled. When she removed it, she let it fall onto Mr Bradford’s thigh. “I would love to go for a walk. That’s it, just a walk. I want to take my shoes off and splash in a stream, or pick the prettiest flower I can find. I want to see what’s become of the world before my memories of it fade completely. I haven’t stepped outside the front gates in a year.”
Mr Bradford stared down at her hand resting on his thigh, and Stella grew horrified for a moment, fearing he might remove it in disgust. Instead, he placed his hand on top of hers. “That sounds like a great first date. What exactly are we waiting for?”
She laughed, then realised he was serious. “Are you mad? We can’t go walking around outside. The only reason we’re alive is because we barricaded ourselves in the basement.”
“But we came out of the basement and everything was fine. Maybe we should spread our wings again. Like you said, there hasn’t been a demon spotted in months.”
“That’s not so long, Mike.”
“Long enough to risk a stroll in the park, surely? You remember the little one on Pratt’s Lane? There’s a gazebo and benches, a nice little stretch of grass. It’s a five-minute walk. Imagine if we could make it safe? The kids could experience a slide again. They could sit on a swing.”
“Sounds wonderful, but it’s too dangerous.”
A cheeky grin spread across his square face. “It’s not dangerous at all, Stel. I’ve already checked it out. Once last week and again last night. Like you, I’ve been getting a little stir crazy.”
She gasped. By leaving the school, Mike had risked them all. Yet she wasn’t angry. She was excited. “You’ve really been out? What did you see?”
“Why don’t you come look for yourself? It’s safe, I promise. I saw nothing aside from a pack of wild dogs, and they seemed pretty well fed and docile. The danger has passed.”
“I can’t… The children…” Her insides sloshed all over the place. She had to take a deep breath of fresh air.
Mike continued staring at her. “The children are fine, John’s with them, and we’ll be back in ten minutes. I just want you to see that the world is still out there waiting for us. It changes everything, trust me.”
Stella shocked herself by nodding. Everything about this felt wrong and irresponsible, but she needed to leave this prison. She needed to get out. A ten-minute break from being a teacher, parent, protector, and nursemaid to six children who were not even her own would, like Mike said, change everything. “Okay, but we have to be quick. Take me to the park, but we head straight back. It’ll be fine, right? John is planning to leave soon anyway.”
“Exactly.” Mike stood from the edge of the pond and offered his hand. She took it, grinning from ear to ear. The touch of his skin was electric, the thought of leaving the school ecstasy in her veins. For the first time in a year, survival gave way to living.
She was going on a date.
Is this real?
Mike’s hand felt real in hers. The warmth in her cheeks felt real.
Despite committing to taking a cheeky jaunt, Stella wasn’t about to broadcast it. She whispered to Mike and asked if he had a plan. “There’re three sets of keys for the main gate,” he replied, “so I didn’t think anyone would notice when I took some. We just unlock the padlock and squeeze around the minibus parked in the way.”
“There’s a gap big enough to squeeze through?”
Mr Bradford patted his flat stomach under his grubby white shirt. “I wouldn’t have made it through a year ago, but it’s not too difficult anymore. Nobody will see us leave.”
There was something frightening about that. If no one saw them leave and something were to happen, the children would be forever left wondering. Her feelings of irresponsibility increased to a level that almost changed her mind. Almost.
“Okay, let’s be quick.” She kept hold of Mike’s hand and pulled him into a trot.
They exited the playground and used a side path around the school that took them to the front of the main building. The gate stood twenty feet away
